Playing With Fire
by Funnierthanu
Summary: He's been mocked and downgraded for his looks but when they need weapons, he's suddenly their favorite person and automatically wants to be associated with. Now, he's had enough. He'll finally let loose the burning fury that he's held in all these years. He'll grin as they meet their certain downfall; after all you should never play with fire. "Rebel and Dispel" series.


This the third installment of the "Rebel and Dispel" series.

Disclaimer: I don't own anything

Now, onto Hephaestus' story.

* * *

I clenched my jaw in annoyance, how many more times did I have to watch my "loyal" wife be with my brother before she learned? How many more times did I have to sit through listening to Ares gloat about getting Aphrodite? How many times did I have to be mocked for my horrible looks?

I felt rage burn through me like a wildfire but I contained it, it was not wise to let it out. Even I do not know the power of which it can bring and do not wish to find out.

I watched as she giggled when he flexed his arm and I gripped my hammer harder. I knew that I was nowhere near "good-looking" like the rest of my Olympian family but that did not mean it gave them right to mock and scorn me. I am an Olympian as well, not some minor god with barely any power.

It had even gotten to the point where barely anyone would address me as "Lord Hephaestus" like an Olympian should properly be addressed. No, it was always "Hephaestus", no lord or anything.

There were still few that did address me as such, but they were the more reasonable, and I understood how they were graced with the honor of being called reasonable. They were not quick to judge and believed in justice.

Justice was this anything but.

Justice is fair, being thrown off of Olympus for being "ugly" was not.

Justice suited all that was offended, being forced to slave over weaponry was nowhere near suitable.

Justice brought a settling peace, the fury he felt told him that for him there was anything but peace.

He huffed, throwing the hammer down and ignoring the clanging noise it met when it hit the cold, hard, stone floor.

He wanted to let go of everything. He wanted to know why he wasn't handsome. He wanted to what made him so different, he was just as essential as any other Olympian if not more.

What was so horrible about his looks that made him seem as if he was easy to push around?

He sighed, what made him think he should just sit back and let them push him around?

He took a break from the construction of the millionth automaton that he had been building. It wasn't like he needed another one anyway. Constructing them was more or less used for him to be able to let his mind run free.

He grabbed a cloth and wiped the sweat off of his chest and body. What he lacked in looks, he made up for in body.

What was he to do? He didn't want to bother Athena, she was going through somewhat of the same thing he was. Artemis, he couldn't consult because she was most definitely off frolicking with her friends, Nyx, Thalassa, and Ananke. He already knew of what happened to her as did Athena. They even discussed their insecurities, to which Artemis grinned and told them to let everything go and release the person inside, fighting to get out. For Athena she specifically said to let go of her chains and finally let the wisdom completely flow through her. But for Hephaestus she said to let the fire run freely, not to contain it any longer. To let loose.

The two of us had looked at her in confusion and she grinned before saying, "You'll know when your time comes." And then she flashed out leaving the two of us dumbfounded. What did she mean "when your time comes".

And what if I was too afraid to let the fire run freely? It could harm someone, I didn't know its true potential. But I didn't want to.

I wanted to still be me but be appreciated.

_"Forget about fear. Forget about doubts. Let your inner you run free, trust me, you'll end up better than everyone else." _Artemis had said, but he didn't know what he was supposed to make out of that either.

Let loose?

Let loose, what?

There was nothing he was binding, nothing that was putting up a fight to be released, to be exact.

_"You'll know when your time comes."_ He repeated in his mind. She wore a gigantic grin, like it was the most amazing thing she could and could have experienced in her life. But what I didn't get was what she let loose. Artemis was known to be a free goddess, not letting rules and laws define her. There couldn't have been anything that she needed to let loose, but she did. She had.

So, if she could do it, so could he. But where did he start? How would he truly know what needed to be released and how it was to be released? What if he releases too much? What if he doesn't know how to control it all? What if he becomes a rogue god?

There was nothing particularly wrong with being a rogue god, Artemis was one and she turned out becoming the most powerful of us all. But that didn't mean it would be my fate. No, that fate was occupied by her.

What was my fate, anyway?

I flopped down into a chair, and her a squeak as the chair took the impact. My mind wandered to how I should replace or fix the chair but I scolded myself. Now was the not the time to worry about silly things like that.

I gasped, slightly. I had surprised myself by mine own thoughts. They weren't mine, they were what people told me constantly. I was so used to being scorned that my own thoughts had evolved in to such. Their opinions and scolding had evolved in to self-consciousness.

I had never taken notice of it before. Just harmless thoughts turned out to be much, much worse. Because of all the chastising, a part of me has sprouted from it. It became a shadow of myself.

It became my demon. Now, how was I supposed to get rid of it?

My eyes wandered over to the fire, blazing auburn near my workplace. It was beautiful, simply magnificent.

It defined me yet, was the complete opposite of me. People relished in it, loving what it provided them and its beauty, yet were afraid to test its limits.

I wanted to be it.

I almost chuckled, I wanted to become my own domain. How ironic.

But, how could I become it?

I got up and walked slowly towards it, growing more enticed by its beauty by every step I took forward. When I got close to it, I just stared at it. And by staring at it, I learned one truth that answered millions of my questions.

I always had questions pertaining myself, yet never had answers. I was the question but I always wanted to be the answer.

The answer!

That was what was always fighting to be let out.

And now, I was going to let it out, one way or another.

Without a moment's hesitation, I plunged my head into the fire, and relished in the tingling feeling that shot through me.


End file.
